Update: Cornel West, Other Occupy Wall Street Protesters Arrested By NYPD

johnknefel

Cornel West and more than a dozen other Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested today in Harlem during a civil disobedience protest against the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy. The protest took place outside the 28th Precinct at West 123rd Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, as a substantial group of protesters led by West chanted, "Stop & frisk don't stop the crime. Stop & frisk IS the crime."

When he was speaking to the assembled protesters, Cornel West said at one point: "We need to bear witness to injustice. If cops need to take us to jail, take us to jail." Protesters locked arms just before police started making arrests, according to Lucy Kafanov: "Carl Dix, Colonel West and others join hands as #NYPD moves in."

lucykafanov

lucykafanov

According to the NYCLU, "white shirts say total of 32 arrested" altogether in Harlem. John Knefel, who was on the scene at the protest all day, gives an update on what's happening now: "Cornel West Carl Dix & rest being held at 33rd precinct. 169 & amsterdam. we're marching there."

The march against the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy came a day after several elected officials called for a federal probe into the policy, and the same week that an eight year NYPD veteran was arrested and charged with civil rights violations in connection with a racially-charged stop-and-frisk arrest on Staten Island. More than 317,000 people were stopped between January 1 and June 30, an increase of almost 14 percent from last year.

Update 3:45 p.m.: Protesters have splintered off into two groups—one headed back downtown to Zuccotti Park, while the other has been marching through Harlem toward the 33rd Precinct as you can see in the picture below. According to Knefel, "Picking up supporters. Several hundred march—'We say no to new Jim Crow, stop & frisk has got to go.'"

johnknefel

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Yakas in News on October 21, 2011 3:25 PM

Comments [rss]

chee1rs

here come the professional marchers , complainers , whiners out of the woodwork for their photo-ops

I had a $7 starbucks mocha latte with an OWS protestor ( an art history major , white , middle-class ) while he friended me on Facebook with his $3000 iMac Air computer ..... they're dis-enfranchised ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

.

kevd

Do you just have that fascinating $7 starbucks mocha latte story copied and ready to paste into every single comment you make?

chee1rs

just trying to incite the left

Remingtton

only for dunces who miss it the first time

Lazio_Giggalo

Here again NYPD bring out the Paddy Wagons! As police abuses are being called out NYPD continues to commit Constitutional Rights abuses! The Feds have to come in and clean house! Like clean up on isle nine! The ACLU has to get more aggressive and not sell out or compromise on the U.S. Constitution which is guaranteed to EVERY AMERICAN! The NYPD Which is sworn to uphold the Constitution has gravely failed in their sworn oath! SHAME ON YOU NYPD!

kevd

Did a bunch of NYC elected officials just call for a federal probe of the NYPD's racist, degrading and abusive stop and frisk program?

Also, the only people I know who've been stopped and frisked are crackers. But, I guess I know a lot more young male crackers than blacks and latinos.

Guest

Where are all the young black dudes, most of whom are being "stopped and frisked"....?

Greg Froober

they are uneducated and unaware

whitecastlerock

they are at work

Greg Froober

they are the most unemployed demographic

Tony

UPDATE: Lib scum in jail.

Toss 'em in the hole! Dont let them see sunlight for 50 years! TREASSSSSSSSON!

Eggcream

OWS creep. It's awesome to me, dangerous to the man.

Stop and frisk is some fascist shit. West has my respect.

randomtransplant

There are people in New York who get treated like political dissidents on their own block.

This is the promise, the threat, of the Occupy movement - the more rampant injustice is, the more affected people will rise up.

Wooloverurhead

all this attention uptown is cool, however what about the drummers downtown?????? wtf!!!! where are the funds for more drums??? shit!

Karl Conrad

Cornel West LOL Who's going on CNN tonite to blame jews and black Republicans for child poverty in America?

kevd

Yup. If you don't agree with him and can't argue the merits of his positions, just make some stuff up about anti-semitism.

Good right wing jujitsu you got there.

antisemetism ?
antisematism?
no...
hmmmm.
why can't I spell that word.
antisemitism
DING DING DING. No hyphen. My bad dudes.

Chris Gregory

And he actually says this? Or did you just hear that from someone and are repeating it second hand? Otherwise post a youtube link or I'd say BS.

JDSX

The OWS crowd can all get a job as professional protesters since that's the only thing they seem to stand for as a group.

hotstepper

zzzzz

ronshapley

Many OWS protestors broke from the march to the 33rd precinct to go back to Zuccotti Park... Must have been lunch time....or maybe it's laundry day

Mordicai

Cornel West, if the police aren't allowed to criminalize people on the basis of their skin colour, how are we going to fill our prisons disproportionately with people of colour? & if we can't do that, how will the people profiting off the prison industrial complex make money? & where will we get the human bodies to use as batteries in The Matrix?

VulcanPrincess

Way to go Professor West, you're a man of conviction.

airtech1

Wasn't Prof West supposed to teach a Friday section at Princeton?

kevd

Yeah, I think the lecture was called "Taking a stand against racist and abusive Police state policies." I hope his students took good notes. (students still take notes, right?)

Colonel_Ingus

Well, he was just arrested. I doubt he's been convicted yet.

VulcanPrincess

Haha true dat, he's still a genuine person though, IMO.

Carrie M

The Occupy Wall Street General Assembly was presented with a proposal last night to support this protest against the stop-and-frisk harassment by the NYPD, and we voted to support it. We were told you could go and support/observe or go and participate in civil disobedience with the likelihood of arrest. Just FYI.

OWS is a multi-issue organization, and if we get a 90% consensus on something, it is officially backed by us. So that's why we are affiliated with this afternoon's events.

whatidsay

General Assembly? You couldn't come up with something a little less militaristic? I think we all understand that OWS is a multi-issue organization. It's also why so many people find it an easy target for pot-shots. Given how many people in this country wake up each day wondering how they're going to get through it, it's a bit naive to expect them to rally around a focus-challenged group who know that, if nothing else, they have Zucotti Park. I do support the efforts of OWS, but please please please, find focus. Or hire a better publicist.

kevd

I know, that United Nations and its General Assembly is SOOOO militaristic.

Any protest movement is going to attract a diverse set of people and viewpoints. Look at the tea party. As much as I can't stand them, I'm not going to claim that they all think Obama is a secret Muslim from Indonesia, just because a fringe element thinks that. Same with OWS. Just because a handful of old crusties are deluded old Maoists, I'm not going to assume it's a Maoist protest.

Chris Gregory

Is that really the best you can do? You're going to insult the name because you find a word offensive, are you five?

You know the reason why it's like this is because shit isn't getting done and you're living in your comfortable little isolated life thinking as long as you keep stepping on people and crushing their skulls underneath you that somehow you'll make it out.

It's rigged, if you are not in the 1% and you are not miraculous like Steve Jobs you never will be. So while you sneer and wish that your fellow man was ritualistically tortured to death for daring to interrupt your day, there are greater issues going on in the world.

Stop expressing such abject disdain for anything more complicated than a Slogan, it speaks very poorly of your comprehension skills. And if you really aren't so violently upset that your day is being disturbed then either talk to them or find a legitimate complaint other than "Waaaa! make the hippies go away mom! they scaaaaaare me! they want chaaaaaaange! I hate chaaaaaaaange!"

mistermarkdavis

Sparkles

Gothamist_Cynic

Make up your fucking minds!

Carrie M

Um, we have made up our minds: http://www.nycga.net/resources...

Basically, the corporations have grown so powerful that they have complete control over government, and the two combined have forgotten about human rights and needs and true democracy.

But that doesn't mean we can't lend our support to related worthy causes.

Chris Gregory

No no no, you're missing the point. He thinks we should all be drug out onto the streets in the dead of night and ritualistically tortured to death for bothering his day.

Some people obsess way too much over "ORDER AT ALL COSTS!!11" and I'm so sad to see so many people online apparently share that feeling.

So I refuse to let them hide it under a veneer of respectability. :)

kevd

dragged

Gothamist_Cynic

You guys should be protesting at Congress not Wall St.

http://www.newscientist.com/ar...

Ed McGovern

Why - CNBC & Bloomberg have shown that the finance industry is where the media spotlight shines brightest

hotstepper

http://occupydc.org/

plus 1 or 2 or...80+ other cities. act like you know.

Chris Gregory

Bu..bu...bu...but it doesn't count if it's hippies! stop bothering us! We want you to starve slowly and out of sight! ;p

FU Boy

You know, I'm glad OWS people were there - and I agree with the sentiment on Stop and Frisk.

But that link doesn't outline a plan, it's just a laundry list of grievances. There is no demand, just "we don't like this". If you truly despise the government for their abuses of power, you need to demand that they step out of power and have a plan on how to oust them if they refuse. Getting OWS people put into office in next year's election would be a good backup plan. This could be the start of a reform party that cleans up government, but OWS is going to have to fight for it.

In my opinion, asking a corrupt body to clean itself up is just not viable. You need to force them 'clean'.

nicemarmot

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. People were already mad about all this stuff. What we need is, well, regime change, to use our government's own words. But I don't see these people - or anyone else, to be fair - working toward that.

The_Green_Devil

A month ago most people in this country didn't know or didn't care how badly they got fucked up the ass by this unholy alliance between Wall St and government. OWS has changed that- now there's a dialog, and whether or not people think they belong to the 99%, at least they're now talking about it. This is progress.

And it's hard to come up with a succinct sound bite to summarize the wide ranges of abuse that have occurred and how to fix them. These are deeply complex issues involving arcane economics and how to reform a political system that has evolved over many years into this vampiric relationship between the corporations who throw money at politicians and the politicians who rely on this money to get elected. Somewhere I saw a quote that said the current batch of Congress had received $3.4 billion this last election cycle from corporate interests.

Complex stuff and it's too bad we've turned into nation of fucking simpletons who have to be fed everything in neat 30 second sound bites or else people throw their hands up in despair and bitch and moan about it's too complicated. Maybe we deserve to be a nation of servile idiots getting begrudgingly spoonfed crumbs by our corporate overlords.

FU Boy

I think it has the potential to - but it will take efforts that are beyond the movement at this time.

If they understand that there will be no quick turn-around, and dedicate themselves to measurable goals, then it's feasible. It will test their resolve, but what else would you expect when wanting to make such massive change?

That being said - this act of solidarity in other areas of social injustice is a good move for increasing the numbers. And numbers are what they will need, if they are to ultimately succeed.

Boom. A rhyme ends my week o' trolling.

Carrie M

The OWS voted at General Assembly early on expressly NOT to issue a list of "demands," because we see it as limiting.

Here is one reason why: http://www.theonion.com/articl...

:)

Ed McGovern

Actually it is smart not to have a spokesperson and not to have demands - it is driving the pundits crazy. The media cannot be satisfied that their is general dissatisfaction with politicians, corporations, the media, etc. none of who give a care about the day to day living of average people.

I don't think this discontent and these assemblies are going away anytime soon.

Brian Mastro

Shows the intelligence here without demands you cant accomplish anything

FU Boy

While I enjoy the jest - it only raises another question. Do you want to be dismissed for having a goal, or dismissed for just complaining about the state of affairs?

Saying you want to end the corporate corruption of our government - and I totally sympathize with that goal - is like saying you want to go to outer space. I believe they are both achievable goals, but you have to have a plan to get there.

Since you seem to have a finger on the the pulse of things, as it were, are there any plans for a mass assembly at one significant location? Converge on DC and occupy the Washington monument / reflecting pool / massive park space in front of congress?

Being dispersed across the country doesn't show the full strength of the movement in one "damn that's a lot of pissed-off people" way. Taking the fight to the source of our problems would also have a certain significance in showing a unified focus to this cause.

whitecastlerock

What about the money for the extra drums?

Bonobo_Stud

Isn't that oppressing the 10% who didn't vote for it?

nomadnewyork

Like like like like like

Greg Froober

who is "breaking cornell west"

FAMOUS ORIGINAL Vance Grey

Is he related to "Colonel West"?

whatidsay

More likley "Colonel Ingus"

Bonobo_Stud

Cornel West is a famous musician who has recently become involved in the Occupy Wall Street protests.

CrooklynDodgers

Ha...I was just about to comment on like, what? But your sarcasm was better on track than my reasoning. Thats pretty funny.

ktinnyc

I think it's the sequel to Breaking 2, Electric Boogaloo.

bggb

What Cornet West doesn't explain is how if the NYPD isn't allowed to racially profile and police based on bigotry, are they to be expected to do actual police work???

splicernyc

Let me know when they start stopping Italians and Russians en masse to make sure they're not mobsters.

Gothamist_Cynic

It always just takes just one person or a few to ruin a movement.

Red Ryder

There has to be a movement first.

Chris Gregory

Because 1,500 cities worldwide and hundreds of thousands of global protests isn't a movement if it's dirty hippies right?! It's an opportunity for a concentration camp! Death to all who oppose order! ;p

Red Ryder

Good job turning my joke into a point and then making the point perfectly for me.

splicernyc

Don't take the bait. These folks with their cushy lives and authoritarian attitudes are too busy telling kids to get off their lawn to notice that this country is halfway down the toilet. They'll do nothing to help and complain when anyone dares to lift a finger they're too lazy to lift.

Chris Gregory

It's not troll bait, it's discussion sliding. You have to remember how the Tea Party got astroturfed. You can make subtle suggestions and create false legitimacy or illegitimacy for an idea by tying it to other things.

It's all marketing man. He's not talking to you or me but to the people who will undoubtedly read this and see that and think that there really is a lot of unseemly things happening which flat out aren't and it'll make them think worse of the protest.

So rather then just let a bunch of people try and wear a mask of civility and try to slide the sentiment of the discussion with all of this BS I always want to make sure everyone knows what people mean when they say these horrible things.

That way the uninvolved reader sees conflict and will probably not side with the above because when I make a response it simply follows a sort of chain of parody and then they look back up and see revealed how silly the person above me's post was.

I suppose it's my own attempt at defeating astroturf and discussion sliding. I'm talking to the people who will never comment and yet read this none the less.

cr17

Guys - don't let this issue distract you from the fact that drummers are being oppressed downtown.

Roger_the_Shrubber

It's like Selma all over again.

whiteiris

Look out, Obama might tell his speech er lie again about how Selma was responsible for his birth even though he was born 4 years earlier.

Bob Moses

I c wat u did there

Steven la Mura

I didn't know occupy wall st was protesting the stop-and-frisk policy until I saw this post. Anyone else?

Colonel_Ingus

They'd protest the opening of an envelope.

Wait... did I get that right?

whiteiris

especially if the envelope were white....

FAMOUS ORIGINAL Vance Grey

Unless the envelope was already open. Then they'd protest the envelope being left open. Until someone tried to close it. Then they'd protest the closing of the envelope.

Chris Gregory

At which point you'd begin to bash their skulls in and defaecate on the gaping wound left open. They deserved it right?! Stupid hippies bothered my day! That'll teach 'em to keep their traps shut!

whiteiris

the hippies or hipsters as gothamist likes to say are the ones defecating on cop cars and the street moron.

Chris Gregory

But that's just it, it's not, it's one or two provocateurs and hell we have records showing that people and organizations run these sorts of discrediting campaigns against any social movement. It's happened before and certainly is right now.

It's obviously not something the entire movement does and yet the person above me feels so violently disturbed that his day should dare be interrupted that he would like to make allusions to how he wishes they were treated so barbarically that a turkish prison would seem mild by comparison.

So I see no shame in making sure the casual reader sees this utterly inhuman level of implied animus laid clear.

masterjarvis

oh youre so clever. you must be very proud of yourself for that one

DP

Sarcasm. Dope.

FAMOUS ORIGINAL Vance Grey

Are you mocking me? If so, fantastic! That means two steps to winning! Now, I don't know what I want to win or how to win it. All I know is that other people have more stuff than I do. Where's my thinking drum at? I really need to figure this out.

masterjarvis

i just busted a nut in m girlfriend. remind me what you were saying again

Sugarbop

They freakin protest a different thing everyday. Stupids.

ktinnyc

It's okay some of us can pay attention to more than one thing at a time. We'll keep track and explain things to you.

Sugarbop

You will!! Thank goodness.

Now, I can go on not caring about their bitch and moan fest.

masterjarvis

you seem to care enough to run your stupid mouth on every gothamist thread related to OWS

ArtCarnage

While you continue to bitch and moan incessantly.

Chris Gregory

Yes, because people dying, being beaten horribly, having their lives ruined, no, that's not important! Shut up!

But who won American Idol?! Now that's what I care about! Stupid Hippies, right? :p

whiteiris

You did read the story right? The race baiters are protesting NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.

Chris Gregory

And you would realize that the poster above me was not responding to the specific protest at all but rather a general attitude of the protestors, right?

Reading comprehension is a two-way street. ;p